AFFIRMING A PRIESTHOOD, ROOTED IN A REFORMED AND RENEWED CHURCH

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Young, Patrick J.

Patrick J. Young, UB administrator, activist
Buffalo NY
July 7, 1936—June 7, 2010

Patrick Joseph Young, of Buffalo, a retired University at Buffalo administrator and an activist devoted to progressive causes, died Monday under hospice care in Buffalo General Hospital. He was 73.

Born in Chicago, he came to Western New York as a seminarian at St. Columban Seminary in Silver Creek and in 1962 was ordained a Catholic priest in the Missionary Society of St. Columban.

After leaving the priesthood, he joined the UB staff in the late 1960s. He worked in the human resources and financial aid departments and earned a degree from the UB Law School. He retired in the early 1990s.

A member of St. Joseph University Catholic Church, he was active as a volunteer in numerous capacities. He volunteered at Benedict House, read to the blind, drove family members to visit loved ones in local prisons and served meals at the Little Portion Friary.

As a member of Call to Action, CORPUS and the Federation of Christian Ministries, Mr. Young worked an an advocate for a married clergy, inclusion of women priests and fuller participation by lay members.

In later years, he developed a strong interest in the mystical aspect of spirituality and led a meditation group.

He supported Amnesty International, the National Resources Defense Council and the Western New York Peace Center. He often stood with the Women in Black on Bidwell Parkway on Saturday mornings.

An usher at Wrigley Field as a boy, he was a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan.

He married Mary Anne Confer in 1972.

Also surviving are three daughters, Dr. Maria, Maura and Catherine, and a brother, Donald.